Should I go the cheap route or not

[Jdeck09]

which 3 do you have?

Approach, Ridge and Highlander

 

[Mike D Texas]

Tikkas are known for long throats.

Not an issue if you reload.

ETA: it isn’t a problem with the action. They just generally have long throats. I don’t even think if it as a problem.

I haven’t experienced overly long throat in my Tikkas. I throated my .223 longer so I could seat the bullet more in a position that I prefer in the case.

I also lengthened the throat in my 300WSM Tikka, again strictly for preferred bullet placement in the case.

I hand load my .223 to seat at 2.450” with the 77TMK, but it shoots Black Hills 77TMK to the same POI and precision so even if they are a little long, it doesn’t hurt precision.

You want to talk about long throats, I have a R700 5R Milspec rifle that I have to seat Berger 175s to 3.050” to touch the lands. That’s .250” over SAAMI; Weatherby territory. But it still shoots 1.1” 10 rounds groupsj.

 

[Ferox]

Not a big fan of the factory stock, but Tikka is accurate and has a very smooth action that feeds very reliably. That is worth a lot.

 

[Cherokeeguide]

I’m looking for something for elk, bear, mule and white tail. Would 6.5 be good for elk?

I should hope so. I've filled 20 elk tags in my lifetime. I filled 9 of them, including my last one three seasons ago, with a Marlin 336 in .30-30 Winchester. I filled 7 of them with a .270 Winchester. I filled one with a 7-30 Waters from a Super 14 Contender, one with a .250 Savage, one with a .257 Roberts, and one with a .495" patched round ball from a caplock Lyman Great Plains Rifle.


Out of those things I've filled elk tags with, the "most powerful" of the lot was the .270 Winchester.

As someone else already noted, that's essentially what a 6.5 PRC is in the sense that they aren't different enough from each other to matter.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Just remember, if you buy a Tikka, you are required to buy a new stock, new barrel, new bottom metal, new trigger and new bolt, so it seems.

 

[Cherokeeguide]

FYI - This forum is heavily loaded with Tikka fans.
Always the same story - buy a tikka and change x, y, z components.
I’d look hard at Seekins and Fierce.
I own a Fierce and, contrary to the inflow of some opinion, it’s an absolute tack driver and very well made.
I’ve also owned Browning and it shot fantastic. I wouldn’t skip them in your search.

I wouldn't use a Tikka if one were given to me for free.

I remember when what we think of as a Tikka now was first imported to the U.S.A. by Stoeger back in 1988. It was every bit the aspirational purchase anything else associated with Stoeger was and definitely not the coveted object of desire they've become on social media platforms like this one today.

When those Tikka rifles hit the shop gun racks in 1988, I was five years into owning an inherited Griffin and Howe on a Model 1903 Springfield action, four years into owning a Ruger No.1 B in .270 Winchester, and three years into owning a Ruger M-77 RL Ultralight in .250 Savage. To me, the then-new Tikka was nothing more than another bargain bin offering from Stoeger, and I was far from alone in holding that view.

I'd rather shoot and hunt with my home-assembled AR-15 A4 than anything Tikka make and if I ever need more oomph than the 5.56 can muster, I have an inherited Remington 740 BDL in .308 Winchester that I'd also rather hunt with than anything Tikka make.

I can think of a whole lot of other things, including rifles, that I'd rather spend $700.00 on, but I wouldn't say that someone else is wrong to love them. They just aren't something I care to own or use.

 

[eric1115]

I wouldn't use a Tikka if one were given to me for free.

I remember when what we think of as a Tikka now was first imported to the U.S.A. by Stoeger back in 1988. It was every bit the aspirational purchase anything else associated with Stoeger was and definitely not the coveted object of desire they've become on social media platforms like this one today.

When those Tikka rifles hit the shop gun racks in 1988, I was five years into owning an inherited Griffin and Howe on a Model 1903 Springfield action, four years into owning a Ruger No.1 B in .270 Winchester, and three years into owning a Ruger M-77 RL Ultralight in .250 Savage. To me, the then-new Tikka was nothing more than another bargain bin offering from Stoeger, and I was far from alone in holding that view.

I'd rather shoot and hunt with my home-assembled AR-15 A4 than anything Tikka make and if I ever need more oomph than the 5.56 can muster, I have an inherited Remington 740 BDL in .308 Winchester that I'd also rather hunt with than anything Tikka make.

I can think of a whole lot of other things, including rifles, that I'd rather spend $700.00 on, but I wouldn't say that someone else is wrong to love them. They just aren't something I care to own or use.

How many Tikkas have you owned?